© 2023, Centre for Advanced Research in Agricultural Sciences Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences Volume 14; Issue 05 (Sep-Oct 2023); pp 1374–1379 Full Length Research Article Socio-economic Status of the Fishermen Community in Digha Coast, West Bengal, India Sanchita Nayak Tripathy 1 , Angsuman Chanda* 2 and Sanjat Kumar Sahu 3 1-2 Natural and Applied Science Research Centre, Raja N, L, Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), under Vidyasagar University, Midnapur, Paschim Medinipur - 721 102, West Bengal, India 3 Department of Environmental Science, Sambalpur University, Jyoti Vihar, Burla, Sambalpur - 768 019, Odisha, India Abstract The socioeconomic status of the inhabitants in the Digha Coastal region is heavily reliant on marine fishing, which is one of the most important livelihood possibilities for residents of Digha coastal belt. The present study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic situations of the Fishermen Community of Digha Coast. The information was collected from selected villages in the Digha Coastal region. A random sample of 430 respondents was analyzed. The survey method of questionnaire was employed to determine the socioeconomic situation of the Fishermen community. In this study, percentage analysis and cross tabulation were used. The findings and observations are the result of the interpretations made during the investigation. The result depicts that the out of 90 families (30%) are in above poverty line and the remaining are below the poverty line as per guide line of FAO. The current study will help to develop new economic opportunities and increase the resource base of coastal poor people. Key words: Socio-economic, Fishermen, Livelihood, Digha The socioeconomic condition of people is the most powerful indicator of their lives [1-2], as it provides social, cultural, and economic characteristics. It is used to identify potential impacts of management decisions on stakeholders, which can help policymakers and decision-makers minimize negative outcomes and maximize positive outcomes for local resource owners and fishing communities. The fishing community is considered vulnerable in many ways, so a variety of studies on their socioeconomic status have been conducted in various parts of the world including India [3-8] with the goal of improving their livelihood status by identifying problems and constraints. The socioeconomic status of the inhabitants of Digha Coastal region is heavily reliant on marine fishing. It is one of the most important sources of income for residents of the Digha coastal belt. This process will increase income opportunities while also improving the resource base of the poor people of the Digha Coastal Belt. Fishing industry is related to the activities which is concerned with cultivating, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing, or selling fish or its products. It is a type of occupation performed by people known as fishermen. This occupation is practiced on all seashores. Ambili [9] defined a fisherman as someone who makes a living primarily from fishing and related activities. Their work resulted in a supply of fish for human consumption, bait, and other purposes. This community is distinct in that it is geographically located on the coast, has its own way of life and culture, and shares the sea and the environment. Millions of people all over the world have made a living from fishing. Fishery is one of the oldest human occupations, and it also contributes to the employment, economy, and food supply of coastal areas. It is regarded as a critical source of employment that ensures the livelihood of the coastal population, and it plays an important role in the socioeconomic development of the fishermen community. The present study was designed to assess the socioeconomic status of the fishermen community on the Digha coast in order to improve the great economy generator sector with the findings of this research. MATERIALS AND METHODS The data were collected from three villages i.e., Purba Mukundopur, Jhugaria, Bahadurpur, Ramnagar –Block 1, Purba Midnapore district of West Bengal for a period of one year (February2022 to March2023). At the time of data collection, this village had 950 households. Out of these 950 households, 10%, or 95 households, were chosen for the study using a simple random sampling method. Despite effective efforts, data collection was only possible from 90 households. A random sample of 430 people was studied. For the purposes of this study, the head of each household was considered a CARAS Open Access ISSN: 0976-1675 (P) ISSN: 2249-4538 (E) Received: 17 May 2023; Revised accepted: 18 Sep 2023; Published online: 27 Sep 2023 Correspondence to: Angsuman Chanda, Natural and Applied Science Research Centre, Raja N, L, Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), under Vidyasagar University, Midnapur, Paschim Medinipur - 721 102, West Bengal, India, Tel: +91 7585062461; E-mail: chandaangsuman182@gmail.com Citation: Tripathy SN, Chanda A, Sahu SK. 2023. Socio-economic status of the fishermen community in Digha Coast, West Bengal, India. Res. Jr. Agril. Sci. 14(5): 1374-1379.